Astrid is now 7 months old. That means lots of fun new experiences (swimming, eating, and cutting teeth) and mastering some existing skills (sitting up, rolling over, and bouncing). She’s also developing a stronger sense of who her parents are and a bit of stranger-danger when someone else tries to engage her.

Astrid is getting ready for our trip to Mexico with swimming lessons. She’s learned how to float, glide, and dunk with minimal crying. She doesn’t love all the splashing and getting water in her face, but I think she enjoys being in the water and soaking in the experience.

Astrid has found her toes and is generally more squirmy now than she was last month. During diaper changes she loves to grab her feet and rock on her back. You really have to watch her closely, which I learned the hard way when she tumbled off the change table when I turned around to check my phone. Luckily she’s a resilient kid. She cried a bit but Emily was able to calm her down. I still feel horrible about it, but happy that she wasn’t hurt and that Emily handled the situation so calmly and never berated me for being negligent.

The favourite part of Astrid’s day is the two meals she eats with us, following baby-led weaning. It’s also the highlight of my day. I’ve taken dozens of photos of her covered in food and love watching her explore new tastes and make a huge mess.

Soon after she started eating solid food, Astrid got her first tooth (almost like she’s evolving). She’s now a drool monster. Luckily we have these cute drool bibs that Baba made for us.

She loves bouncing in her jumper and has developed an adorable laugh. Even with the large collection of toys we have, she usually prefers playing with an empty box of toothpaste and plastic spoons.

Astrid is back to sleeping through the night (rejoice!). If you like data, it’s all available online. If you like cute photos, there’s plenty below.